Some kinds of Salts also are able to make those scoria’s, viz. those Salts which are extracted out of burnt ashes, and are commonly called Alkalies, such as are the burnt fæces of Wine, the Tartar of Wine, Potters-ashes made of the ashes of Wood, and other such like; these also love to dissolve the sulphureous parts of metals, and do leave the Gold and Silver that is therein whole and sound, and so make a separation of the good from the evil, and give them a notable splendour: Concerning which washing, we will treat more fully in the following third part.
Besides too, even common Salt destroyeth and reduceth the imperfect metals into scoria, but not after such a manner as Alkalies do by washing, but by dissolving and extracting. For if a metallick Calx, or Ore, be powdered and mixt with common Salt, and molten together, the Salt doth more readily seize upon the metal, than on the rest of the drossiness, dissolves it, and turns it into as it were scoria. But to illustrate this thing by an Example, If I would separate a mineral which hath in it, Iron, Copper, Gold, and Silver, and should melt it thus mixt with the Salt, then the Salt would the first time lay hold on the Iron only, and leave the other metals; but if so be there were not so much Iron, as for the Salt to satisfy its devouring self, it would dissolve the Copper too, the Silver and Gold remaining untoucht; for Salt is a common Enemy to Silver, but a Friend to the Iron and Copper, which it willingly dissolves in the melting, and attracts to it self, whether it be each apart by themselves, or both jointly together, which if you are minded again to separate each from the other, you must powder that molten Mass, and pour water thereupon, and boil it; so the Iron and Copper enters into the water, together with the Salt, whereinto if you afterwards put some Iron Rods, the Copper precipitates it self, and the Iron abides in the salt water, and is made very fit to use in dying like Vitriol; but if it will not be coagulated like Vitriol, then the Copper (which hath precipitated it self about the Iron) is to be washt and molten, out of which comes purer Copper. But yet such a Copper may be converted to better use than to be molten, of which more shall be spoken in the third part.
By this means, may one separate and bring into use those Coppery Minerals, which have much Iron in them, and by which, the Copper is otherwise rendered unmalleable and unprofitable: and this is such an Evil, as the Metal-workers have hitherto little known what remedy to apply; whereas in the mean while there lie in many places no contemptible Mines of Copper, neglected and unmedled withal, because they have Iron commixt with them. Some there have been, who have endeavoured to extract the Iron by the help of a Load-stone, but this way is too troublesom, and so is not profitable; but it may be aptly and conveniently done after this manner, did they but know how rightly to use here that aforesaid salt water, and the precipitated Copper: For the salt exalteth the Iron, and the Iron doth again exalt the salt, and animate it, so as that it may afterwards with a little labour and costs be, all of it, and without any loss, converted into good Salt-petre. But some or other may say, what profit would there redound unto me, if I should season one or two, or more Copper minerals with salt, whereby the Copper may be thence drawn out? I would have such an one to know, that in that Operation, some hundreds, or thousand pounds may be done together, and the business may be ordered upon fire in distinct Furnaces, that so a great profit may be gotten; and not only thus, but the same may likewise be done without any Furnace or Oven, with many hundred, or thousand pounds in one Operation, at the open Air in the Field, or in a Wood, where that Ore and salt are to be found; so that the salt may serve as a covering to the mineral, and the mineral as a covering to the salt, and the Wood may serve both for the Furnace and fire.
This now in my judgment is an artificial extraction of Copper out of the Mines, (especially when ’tis such an Ore), which (otherwise) is not of any profit by reason of the immixt Iron, or else consists of such a lean Vein of Copper, as will not suffice to quit the costs of getting it out, but yet it may by this means be separated, with no contemptible profit. For there are every where almost such poor Copper Ore as this which lie and are not dreamt of: For indeed it cannot be expected, that, (if when a Copper Mine (or Ore) doth contain in it some small matter of Copper, it being so overwhelmed as ’twere with the muchness of heterogeneal medlies or mixtures, that it cannot precipitate it self into Regulus’s but passeth into Scoria) it should answer the costs that are to be spent on the forcing it out; and therefore such Minerals must of necessity remain without use. And how many such kind of Ores have I found in Germany, which a man may have by heaps, but no body regards them, for that (as we have already said) they are too barren or poor: Whereas notwithstanding they may be most easily perfected by the help of Salt, so as to be made very gainful, & the costs exceedingly well repaid that shall be laid out upon them, especially in those places where there is such an abundance of Salt, that the Inhabitants know not what to do with the plenty they have of it. Many such places there are in Germany, as Tirole, Saltzburg, Bavaria, and the Diocess that we call Bergtes-gaden: in which places all the whole mountains do not only abound with Salts, but have no small portion of Copper too: Nor is it so in those places only, but likewise every where; Salt is common and of a small price throughout all Germany.
And as we have already shown you, that Iron and Copper may be commodiously extracted out of the Ores by melting it with common Salt, and may be again separated from each other by precipitation: So likewise may the same be done in a moist way by boiling; and is thus, if the Ore be ground and a long while boiled with very Salt-water, the Copper will be dissolved and passeth into the Salt-water, out of which it is to be precipitated, and so fitted for use. But now, if the Salt be distilled into a Spirit, then is it apt not only to extract Copper, but also Gold out of the Ore, and will be of exceeding much profit: But this operation hath already been long ago described by me, in the [First Part of the Mineral Work].
NB. But it will be yet more profitable and gainful to prepare that water out of the Salts and especially out of Nitre, which water is but of small price, and yet notwithstanding it is of that Power and Virtue, as to dissolve or extract all the Metals out of the Ores: and as well the Silver as the Gold and Copper in the solution, may be again precipitated singularly or each Per se one after another; and this kind of water may you likewise use about all Fossiles or Ores with a most wonderful abbreviation.
But now, if you use common Aqua-fortis, it extracts only the Silver and Copper, and leaves the Gold: and if you take common Aqua-regia, it attracts only the Gold and Copper, and leaves the Silver; so that neither of these hath (as we use to say) all the points in it, especially seeing such a kind of Water serves but once only; nor is there as yet any one found who knows how to separate the metals in the solution one from another, so as that the water may still remain good and fit for other the like uses. But as concerning this Water of mine, thus stands the case, viz. One Metal may be precipitated after another out of the Water, and each distinctly, and yet for all this, the Water loseth not ought of its Virtue, but may be many times serviceable; certainly it is a most profitable invention, which (in the doing or perfecting some metals and minerals) is to be preferred many degrees before any melting by Fire. For if that there are several Metals of diverse kinds, in one Ore; as Gold, Silver, Iron, Lead (and this often happens so) and they should be forced out by Fire, they would yet remain mixt together; and there’s a great deal of work to separate them. For first they are to be cupellated on Tests with a great deal of Lead, that so the imperfect Metals, as the Iron, Copper, Tin and Lead if therein, may go off; then the Gold is to be separated also apart, or by a particular operation, by the help of a separating Water, and this is not every bodies work, nor have all such as are skill’d in the Art, in all places necessary provision at hand. But on the other hand, there needs not in that other kind of way, any thing save the Water and some Glasses, with these may you manage and compleat all the whole business, and get a great deal of gain without noise and trouble. For as to such a one as betakes himself to this kind of work, his Neighbours cannot accuse him, that he will (one time or other) ruine their Fortunes and Houses by Fire, for they hear no blowing of the bellows, nor see they any Coals carried into his House. Nor will the Smiths say that ’tis his fault that Coals are so dear, as ’twas objected to him who called himself the little Country fellow. Besides too, he will shun the suspicion of the Magistrates, nor will he give them occasion to suspect him to be a rich blade, and so torment him with the more grievous exactions and with quartering of Souldiers.
And now yet more, This kind of extraction does not only appertain to the getting out the Gold and Silver out of the Ores or Minerals and such as are volatile and crude, and which are every where to be met withal, and may without detriment to any, and with a safe conscience be fixed and separated by the help of this Water: But you may also by the mediation of this Water, profitably and with very small Labour separate all metallick mixtures, such as are mixt at their first forcing out of the Ores, or are melted into one Mass on any other account, and so obtain each Metal pure and free from all heterogeneities. As for example, Put case I have in my hands a certain metallick Mass, which hath in it Gold, Silver, Lead, Tin, Iron, and Copper: Now I would willingly separate the Gold & Silver therefrom: hitherto there hath been no other way known of obtaining it but by cupellating such a Mass or mixture upon the Test with Lead, and so depurating it; in which cupellation, the Copper, Tin, and Iron, do pass together with the Lead into the Test, but the Gold and Silver remain behind, which are to be afterwards separated with Aqua-fortis, that you may have each by it self. But the Iron, Copper, Lead and Tin do remain intermixt with each other in the Test, and should you again melt them even by the strongest blast, yet will they be commixt, and can hardly be separated the one from the other. But by this way of ours if they be dissolved in the water together, you may continually precipitate thence one Metal from another, and take them each apart, and not only the Gold and the Silver by themselves, but the Copper, Tin, Iron, and Argent-vive (each apart).
But it is not so necessary (if in such a metalline Mass wherein are contained so many Metals, the Gold and Silver be but the smaller part) to dissolve all the other baser metals together, to get out the Gold and Silver; this will not be advisedly done, but it would be better, first to purify that Mass upon a Test with Lead, and so to separate the Gold and Silver by the help of that water, or else that Mass may be burnt with Brimstone, and the Gold be thence precipitated and depured. But if the Mass hath less of Iron, Copper, and Tin, than of Gold, there will not be such need of purifying the Mass, by first burning it upon a Test, and then separating it by Aqua-fortis, as is commonly known and used to be done: but the whole mixture must be dissolved, and the Gold and Silver, which you please, be separately, or apart precipitated into a clean Calx, then the Copper also apart, then the Tin; but as for the Iron, you may forbear to precipitate that, because there are no great matters to be performed with its Calx, and it will be better to draw off the Aqua-fortis thence, whereby it may again be had pure, and fit for use.
Then the Iron which abides behind, if it be made red hot, yields a most excellent Crocus Martis, and a most excellent Ingredient for Chirurgeons, for all their Wound-balsams and Exicatory Emplasters; it is stictick; it will also be serviceable to Painters to make exquisite colours therewithal, so that the Iron which is the basest Metal in the whole mixture, if it shall be thus wrought upon and brought into good Crocus Martis, yields the money that was laid out upon the water, and yet this very water, after its abstracting from the Iron is not less fit for use, but is better than it was before. For in its abstraction from the Iron, it brought over with it some Goldenness, which Golden property doth afterwards, in other metallick solutions, associate it self to the Metals, is imbodyed, and yields as much Gold as the price almost (of the water) afore (thus used) could be judged at.